The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-05-19
eou TABLEWARE.


ABOUT TABLEWARE.
Tho First Appearance of Porcelain In DIFF
ferent Countries Of Euro pc.
From the later Roman epoch to a
period some time after the Renais-
sance, there is little change, certainly
little improvement, to be noted in the
furniture of the table. The table of
the Middle Ages was little more than
rough boards placed on t~restles in the
great hall of the castle, about which
gathered the knight and his retainers,
the first being at one end of the table
on a part of the floor raised a little and
called the dais, the lower ranks being
farther down, the dividing line being
the salt-cellar, the symbol of hos
pitality. The dishes were few-cups,
platters and trenchers, the latter the
ancestor of the modern plate. The Pc
riod when it came into use is unknown.
There were knives and spoons, but
no table-clothes and no forks, the use
of the latter a two-pronged instru-
ment, specimens of which are seen
in European museums, not making its
appearance in a table capacity till some
time during the sixteenth century.
The Roman table-cloth and napkin
came gradually into use as education
became more general and manners
more refined.
Tableware began to be elaborate
after the invention of porcelain in
Europe, or rather after the manufacture
was introduced from China and Japan,
where it long had been known. It twas
made in China before the Christian era,
and though it's manufacture had more
or less affected the Arabs and the
Greeks and Romans, it was not brought
to Europe till sometime after the dis
covery of the Orient by Portuguese
navigators.
The Spanish brought porcelain from
China in the sixteenth century. The
Dutch introduced it from Japan in
1880. In 1864 a single vessel brought
to Holland "A, 943 pieces. In 100 the
French imported great. quantities by
the way of Nantas, and though a great
deal of it was merely artistic, the in
voices included urns, platters, basins,
teacups, teapots, sugar bowls, goblets.
salt-cellars. In 176O a cargo imported
into Holland included, beside all these
articles, tea, coffee and chocolate cups,
soup-plates, fiat plates, salad-dishes
and s%pittoons, which were at that epoch
connected with table furniture more
or less remotely. For the teapot and
tea and coffee cups and saucers
we are indebted to China and Japan.
though fiat plates, soup plates and
other forms of the table service were
probably invented in Europe about the
time of the Renaissance, and then made
in China and Japan after orders for
warded by European merchants. The
Portuguese brought the first porcelain
in 1908. In 1875 imitation chinaware
was made in Florence, in 1864 in
France, in 100 at Moscow. and not till
1775 at Chelsea in England. By this
time it had begun to be made IN every
country in Europe. The royal manu-
facture of porcelain was transferred to
Sevres, near. Paris, in 1856. Coffee
was introduced into England and
/! France in 1862, and in 1860 tea was
first imported into Great Britain. Then
cups for drinking these beverages came
into general use, at first diminutive,
the size and form being after Chinese
models.
Since this time porcelain, largely
tableware, has been made in all parts
of France, all over Europe, the quality
constantly. improving, the designs be-
coming more artistic and the variety of
forms and the number of pieces con-
stantly increasing. There are upon
the contemporary table dishes, plates,
cups, knives, forks and spoons for every
variety of Wand, for every meal of the
day and all possible uses, and they
have grown and developed from the
most humble beginning. The modern
repast is a feast compared with the
meal off those in the same station in
ancient times, Men in old times fed
like animals. Food was offered to them
by their domestics as to swine. In no
way is the improvement of the world
in luxury and refinement more plainly
shown than by a modern dining-table
and its appurtenances.-San francisco
Chronicle.